Nuestra Señora la Santa Muerte (Spanish for Our Lady of the Holy Death) or Santa Muerte is a deity of death in Mexican Neo-paganism and a folk Catholic holy figure, although she was never canonized as a true Catholic Saint. She is the personification of Death, her worship can be traced back to when the Aztec Skeletal goddess of death Mictecaihuatl merged with the European concept of the Grim Reaper.
Often depicted as a female skeletal figure wearing a colorful robe and holding one or more objects like a long scythe, hourglass, an owl, and a globe. The specific presentation of Santa Muerte is highly customizable depending on her devotee and what ritual is currently being performed.
As the personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, fortune, and offers assurance to her devotee’s journey to the afterlife.
